A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION – taking its cue from the BBC’s funding of its nations and regions output – that is specifically aimed at BAME productions (though this could apply to other minority groups in the future). Nations and regions The public service television system has failed to reflect the changing constitutional shape of the UK such that audiences in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the English regions are being under-served. We believe that the English regions have failed to benefit from the existing ‘nations and regions’ strategies of the main public service broadcasters and that the broadcasters have a responsibility to shift both production and infrastructure to areas that are currently marginalised. We welcome the increase in ‘out of London’ production as well as recent commitments from public service broadcasters to step up their investment in the devolved nations. We are concerned, however, that their proposals will fail to challenge the underlying centralisation of the UK television ecology. We propose a ‘devolved’ approach to public service television that ultimately aims at sharing responsibility for broadcasting matters between the UK parliament and the devolved nations. 22. Commissioning structures and funding need to better reflect devolutionary pressures and budgets for spending in the devolved nations should be wholly controlled by commissioners in those nations. 23. We firmly believe that it is time for a ‘Scottish Six’ – and indeed a ‘Welsh Six’ and a ‘Northern Irish Six’. 24. The government (or governments in the future) should both protect and enhance funding aimed at minority language services that play such a crucial role in maintaining cultural diversity and identity. The government needs to identify stable sources of funding for S4C other than the BBC in its review of the channel in 2017. 25. The BBC should be allowed to revisit its local television proposal and strike up meaningful partnerships with a range of commercial and not-for-profit news organisations in order to galvanise television at the local level. Genres and content diversity We note that there has been a decline in investment in some of the genres traditionally associated with public service television: arts, current affairs and children’s programming. Other genres, for example drama and sports, have been negatively affected by rising costs and competition from heavily capitalised commercial rivals. Regulators and broadcasters need to work together to consider how best to address these pressures in order to maintain a diverse public service ecology. There should be no automatic assumption that a particular genre is no longer ‘affordable’. We believe that the creation of the Digital Innovation Grants (DIG) fund will create significant opportunities for a broader range of public service organisations to contribute to reversing the decline in, for example, arts, history, science, religious and children’s programming. 158
CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD We note the decline in viewing of television news across the main public service broadcasters, especially among younger audiences. We believe that this is partly due to wider changes in consumption patterns but also that new sources of news are providing an energetic and robust challenge to television bulletins that are sometimes seen as ‘staid’ and unrepresentative. We note that there has been a steady migration of live sports from free to air channels to pay TV and that the vast majority of sports coverage is now to be found on pay TV channels. Public service broadcasters are increasingly unable to compete with companies like Sky and BT in rights to the most popular sports. While some 46% of all investment in first-run original programming in the UK is devoted to sports, only a small proportion of the audience is able fully to benefit from this. 26. At a time of increasing disengagement with mainstream political parties, public service news content ought to adopt a model of journalism that is less wedded to the production of consensus politics and more concerned with articulating differences. 28. We support the efforts of the European Broadcasting Union to protect audiences’ access to major sporting events and believe that the government needs to protect the number of ‘listed events’ available to UK audiences on a free-to-air basis. Talent development and training Employment in the television industry is growing but it is a sector that, due to some significant barriers to entry, does not yet reflect the demographic make-up of the UK. There is an urgent need for a more consolidated approach to maximising entrylevel opportunities and increasing investment in training and professional development at all levels of the industry. 29. Creative Skillset, as the key industry body that is charged with developing skills and talent, should coordinate a sector-wide response to challenges concerning entrance into and training within the television industry. 30. The government should meet urgently with industry bodies and broadcasters to consider how best to make the forthcoming apprenticeship levy work effectively for the television industry. 27. We have earlier recommended that Channel 4 significantly increases its provision for older children and young adults, while Channel 5 should have its commitment to children’s programming embedded in its licence. The BBC must also be required to maintain its engagement with younger audiences and to reverse its recent cuts in this area. 159
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVIS
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Contents Foreword by David Puttnam
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To instruct democracy, if possible
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Welcome Television is leading a cha
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CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL
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PSB channels 71.9% All other channe
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Why television matters Television i
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1982 1990s 2012 The BBC-ITV duopoly
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Time for action Today’s policymak
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Basic principles At the core of pre
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The multichannel revolution Perhaps
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The BBC For most people, the BBC is
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Channel 4 If the BBC is the most im
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Only 8% of Channel 4’s total spen
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ITV and Channel 5 The focus of atte
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The changing face of ITV 1993-2002
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New sources of public service conte
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Television and diversity We have ea
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Page 107 and 108: THE PEOPLE SHOULD BE TELEVISED If t
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Page 115 and 116: Nations and Regions Public service
Page 129 and 130: Content diversity One of the key wa
Page 135 and 136: Sports content now accounts for som
Page 145 and 146: Talent development and training In
Page 153 and 154: Conclusion Television is changing.
Page 155 and 156: Recommendations General The UK’s
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Page 161 and 162: Appointing the BBC board Sir David
Page 163 and 164: APPLICATION OF THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES
Page 165 and 166: BAFTA members’ survey delivered i
Page 173 and 174: Public service broadcasting, public
Page 177 and 178: Inquiry events Do we still need pub
Page 179 and 180: Acknowledgements Inquiry Report Con
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A FUTURE FOR PUBLIC SERVICE TELEVISION CONTENT AND PLATFORMS IN A DIGITAL WORLD

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